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In a March 11 letter, Karen Marysdaughter raised valid concerns about the efforts in the Maine legislature to do away with net energy billing (NEB) after investing in rooftop solar. I hope that the Maine Legislature grandfathers installations like hers if they do amend the law. She is also correct that some are ignoring the externalized costs of burning fossil fuels, a massive double standard in not taxing fossil fuel pollution.
The NEB subsidy was originally intended for small customers like her. That subsidy gives solar free use of the electric system and leaves the costs to non-solar customers. It was not a large problem until the big solar developers convinced the Legislature that they also needed that generous subsidy. It created a gold rush of solar farm developers and is projected to cost Maine consumers more than $200 million a year. That money is largely going to out-of-state investors.
The large solar farms that we see do not need to be subsidized. They have low costs due to economies of scale and already get paid for renewable energy credits in the market. This is essentially an inappropriate transfer of wealth and ends up being a regressive tax, hidden in our electric bills.
Please tell your legislators to vote to modify the net energy billing law that gave solar farms subsidies that will end up costing Maine consumers billions of dollars.
Jeffrey Jones
Bangor